The 157th player to play at this year’s Open only found out about it on Sunday
morning.

Michael Brooks was invited to play as a marker with South Korea’s Hwang Jung-Gon, and managed to post a score most of the contenders for The Open would have been pleased with.

Brooks shot 72 while his partner shot 79, but admitted he had something of an advantage.

“I worked here for 11 years and my dad’s the head pro here,” Brooks admitted. “I know the course like the back of my hand. I know all the lines, I know the way the greens move and the wind and so on.”

A Walker Cup player in 1997, where he played with a teenage Justin Rose, Brooks is now head professional at Malton and Norton in North Yorkshire. Two weeks ago, the Royal and Ancient called him to see if he fancied playing as a marker if needed.

He was not on Saturday, but then: “Rhodri phoned me this morning at about 7.15 and asked if I wanted to play. It was a bit of a rush. I hit a few balls, did a little chipping and putting, introduced myself to Hwang, and away we went.”

Not speaking any English, Hwang, 19, was unable to pick up any tips from either Brooks or his hero Ernie Els while in Sandwich.

In fact, he had never even visited Britain before, having only qualified by virtue of a shock win on the Japan Tour three weeks ago, and was satisfied merely to have made the cut in his first major. He shot an excellent first-round 68, but the wind and rain on Saturday thoroughly bested him, an 83 leaving him in last position.

With his caddie translating from Korean into Japanese and then his manager from Japanese into English, Hwang said afterwards: “I didn’t expect the wind. In Japan, it’s not windy.

"There are trees or something, but in England there is so much wind and no trees. It’s very open. How can I hit? On Saturday there was so much rain. It hit my glasses. I couldn’t see.”

“Next year he wants to come back,” his manager said, finally tiring of this bizarre translation charade. “He wants to play the European Tour and the US PGA Tour.”

As Hwang continues to build strength and experience, there is every chance that he may one day follow in the footsteps of his hero.